Three Words
by DixieH
Summary: Goren gives Eames a spelling lesson and admits he doesn't know everything. This is a pointless drabble you may enjoy.


_**Set in "Season 11". Eames is still Eames and Goren . . . well let's just say some things never change. Goren gives Eames a spelling lesson and then admits he doesn't know everything. This universe and the characters in it belong to Dick Wolf and others and not to me. – Dix.**_

**Three Words**

Eames wiped a hand across her face in a vain attempt to dislodge the weariness she felt. Goren was hunched over the case file which ran more than two hundred pages. While he read and reviewed, Alex was constructing a time line that included locations and events reported by six witnesses, two persons of interest and not one but two crime scene teams. Bad enough after a night's sleep and a cup of fresh coffee, but after a 17 hour day it was an unsurmountable task and she told Goren so.

He looked up from the file, his brows furrowed in concentration. "Insurmountable" He said thoughtfully. "I think you mean insurmountable. Both prefixes "un" and "in" mean not, however . . . "

Correcting Eames after midnight; it was a rookie mistake, but then Bobby was tired too. Eames scowled as he spoke and then exhaled - loudly - interrupting his spelling lesson. "I mean" She said, "It's too damn late and I'm too damn tired."

Goren swallowed the rest of the explanation and shifted in his seat. Looking down, avoiding her wrath, he moved the sheet of paper in his hand back to the case file. "And while we're at it," She said. "Are there _any _words you don't know the meaning of?"

Goren looked away focusing on a carpet stain to the left of his shoe. Ignoring her sarcasm, he said carefully, "Probably," and turning his head slowly. "But right now . . ." He shrugged and let the thought linger. Another moment and he was looking back down at the file, focused again on the case.

Sighing, Eames rolled her shoulders and began typing again.

"Quit." He said. It was more than thirty minutes later. Eames stopped typing and looked at him wondering if he was ready to call it a night. "I don't know the meaning of the word quit." He said and gave her a small smile to tell her it was a joke.

"I'll say." She said not enjoying the joke quite as much as he was. Rebuked he returned to the file.

Almost an hour later, Alex interrupted his reading. "I've got one," she said smirking. Bobby looked up and met her gaze.

"Suspended," She said. He grinned in response and nodded his agreement.

Another hour went by before he said, "Here's another one," When she looked his way, he said "Fired."

This time her response matched his and they grinned at one another. Then as these things sometimes do, after too many hours on a single task, the grins turned to laughter and the laughter grew out of proportion to the joke.

When things began to subside a bit, Eames wiped her eyes, "Right." She said. She was breathless and grinning broadly. "You definitely have no clue what that means!"

This started them laughing again and that was how Captain Hannah found them moments later. He had his coat on and his briefcase in hand. "You two accomplish anything last night?" He asked. "Or was this a waste of my O.T. budget?" Hannah was looking at Goren who managed to recall his military training and swallow his laughter. The sight of Hannah's grave expression helped too.

Eames efforts were less successful and Bobby was no help. Alex was squeezing the bridge of her nose and biting her lip when Goren said, "Well, Captain, Eames was just saying it's unsurmountable, but I think we've made some progress." Bobby dropped his gaze to hide his grin, but Eames snorted and then conveniently had a coughing fit and had to leave the room.

Hannah watched her head for the water fountain. "When your partner gets herself under control maybe the two of you could salvage something from this night's work and brief me before the Chief calls?"

Hannah headed for his office without waiting for an answer. It was a good thing, because Goren was laughing again as he began to reassemble the case file.

**fin**

_Thanks for reading. - Dix._


End file.
